Zoho takes on Microsoft, Google with unified Workplace platform

Challenging tech giants like Microsoft and Google, Chennai-headquartered software development company Zoho Corporation has launched a fully integrated, single software platform that brings together collaboration, productivity and communications tools under one roof.

Zoho Workplace provides a unified platform with multi-faceted communications like email, messaging, audio and video conferencing; a cloud office suite with shared file storage; common team and collaboration paradigms built into each of the products; and AI, search, and other services that span right across the entire suite.

"The nature of work has undeniably changed, and Workplace has grown to meet that change," said Vijay Sundaram, Zoho's Chief Strategy Officer.

More than 25 per cent of new ‘Zoho Workplace' customers have made the decision to switch over from Google G Suite and Microsoft.

"Collaboration platforms need to facilitate better business outcomes, not just improve productivity," he said in a statement.

The platform costs $3 per user per month for the standard version and $6 per user per month for the professional version.

‘Zoho Workplace' includes nine tightly mingled applications, built on a common data model and unified through common search and AI across one dashboard, allowing customers to solve business problems quickly and collaboratively.

"Workplace, through pre-built integrations with powerful business apps and context and continuity across applications, devices, and departments, stands alone in having the vision and functionality to meet the broad business needs of today," Sundaram said.

'Zoho Workplace' witnessed rapid adoption in the last quarter, now supporting two million organisations, with 15 million users located across more than 150 countries.

"Zoho Workplace brings simplicity and sophistication to communication and collaboration, all in a single suite not found anywhere else in the industry," said Mark Smith, CEO and Chief Research Officer at Ventana Research.

With the platform, users can now make audio or video calls from within the app, edit document attachments in Zoho Writer, meet online with contacts, and access all email accounts from within Zoho Mail.

Users can schedule recurring or one-off meetings and set multiple email reminders from web and mobile devices. Now supporting 16 languages, Meeting is integrated with Zoho Projects, Bookings, CRM, and others, the company said.